The Intern
by button-pusher
Summary: Claire is Dr. Hardy's clumsy intern and the last bachelorette in Forget Me Not Valley. She convinces herself that one day she'll have to get out of this small town if she wants to get married. That is until she meets the thief, Phantom Skye.


**I found this deep in my files. I think I wrote it like a year ago but I actually really like it. So I figured, why not post it? If you guys like it, I'll write some more.**

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I sat at the table, flipping through my medical books and pretending to actually read them while Dr. Hardy filled out paper work at his desk. Today was the 24th of Winter, the Starry Night Festival and being the only sure remaining bachelorette in the entire valley, I spent it studying. Dr. Hardy tried to set me up with one of his interns from Mineral Town, Doctor Trent, but I already knew someone who would have no trouble stabbing me if I did. So while everyone else was spending time with their signifigant other, I was completely zoned out, staring at this book of diseases. I don't even understand why Hardy gave me _this_ book anyway. I already knew pretty much every disease listed in this thing as well as the causes and symptoms. It was just the things like surgery and needles that had gotten to me. Surgery especially. Even though the whole ideology and the process fascinated me, actually performing the procedure sent me running...or throwing up in some cases. But Dr. Hardy said that's sometimes how his interns feel at first but it fades soon enough.

"Do you hear that?" The doctor asked out of the blue, craning his neck to look back at the door.

"Hear what?" I asked, completely oblivious. Suddenly, the door flung open, slamming against the back wall which caused me to jump nearly a hundred feet in the air until I fell backwards in my chair. Dr. Hardy also scooted back in his seat, turning to the source and saw Jill standing with a goofy smile plastered on her face. She was _glowing_.

"Claire! He proposed! He proposed!" She cheered, waving the blue feather ot for both the doctor and I to see. _There goes the very last bachelor in the valley_. Hardy flashed her a warm smile as I tried to collect my thoughts after hitting my head on the floor. The farmer hovered over me, grabbing my hand enthusiastically and dragging me back to my feet. "You're going to be my maid of honor and you _need_ to help me plan this out! If Hardy doesn't mind giving you up for a week." She glanced over to the doctor with hopeful eyes. Hardy chuckled and nodded his head in response.

"Claire, you got the week off, but you still need to look through those books." He told me and ushered both of us out of the building. I was juggling my medical textbooks and my winter jacket and scarf in my arms, trying to wrap the scraf around my neck while being tugged by my friend back to the farm.

"_Kai..._" She mumbled dreamily.

"Ow, my head hurts." I whined while tucking my books under my arm to try to slip my jacket on. It was sorta weird walking back omthe dark, it felt like we were being _watched_. I could hear a faint chuckle and just assumed it came from the Inner Inn as we passed by it.

"Sorry about barging in like that. I was just so estatic! I'm so happy he proposed!" Jill beamed, skipping merrily on the dirt path ahead of me. I stopped for a moment to pull my other arm into the jacket sleeve, placing my books on the ground temporarily.

_"Hehe."_ A faint, almost ghastly chuckle echoed in the area. I whipped my head around, searching in every direction for the source with shaking hands.

"What's that?" I mumbled to myself. I was small, fragile, easily taken advantage of and I was well aware of that so just the thought of someone prowling around with ill intentions started freaking me out. My only talent was drinking, I wasn't good at anything else, including defending myself which come in real handy right now. Suddenly I felt something brush against my back, almost like someone was tracing shapes with their finger on my back as they whipped past me. I quickly snatched my books and ran after Jill, screaming in fear as the chuckling echoed across the area.

"Holy hell! Holy hell!" I chanted as I sprinted past the farmer back home.

The wedding was held in a week-Winter 27- at the beach in the early hours of the night where snow still covered the sand much to Kai's displeasure. But it was worth it after probably the most romantic proposal in history. Jill and I had been roommates for a while now-maybe even after my first day in the valley which was about two years ago-and she told me almost everything there was to her love life. It really wasn't a surprise to me when she said that she was getting married to Kai, I was _really_ happy actually. Especially since that most likely meant I wouldn't have to cook as much anymore. He was a pretty sweet guy, too, and acted almost like an older brother to me as him and Jill became more romantically involved. .

I watched her walk down the aisle, escorted by Takakura, and taking the hand of her future lover with a glowing smile. The entire valley had arrived for the occasion with their respective dates to watch the farmer on the happiest day of her life. Well, except for me of course. I didn't have a date _(as per usual)_. But I was the maid of honor so I was randomly paired up with one of the bachelors from Mineral Town that Kai had invited. I never even got his name.

But either way, I still enjoyed myself, drinking and celebrating with my best friend and her new husband, I even caught the bouquet just to add a little humor to the night. Then again, every other bachelorette was already married so the only other person I could possibly be competing with was Kate, and that wasn't happening any time soon. In the meantime, Takakura was busy snapping photos every chance he got, probably catching a few of me just for laughs as everyone paired off for slow dancing. I managed to slip out of the awkward situation, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of a crowd while dancing with a complete stranger that Kai brought for me. This was also a chance to wander around the valley for some time, allowing the newlywed couple to do whatever the hell they wanted while I wasn't home (especially since I didn't want to hear anything while I was sleeping). With a huff, I threw my scarf around my neck and draped a thick tan trench coat over my dress to keep warm in the cool night air.

I strolled past Gustafa's yurt, making my way to the Goddess Pond to talk to the Sprites at the Sprite's Tree. As I continued walking, I played with the strings on my scarf, examining the simple plaid design more. It was a gift from Muffy last winter for my birthday. It was probably one of my favorite accesories and wore it almost every time I went out during the cold winter season. Upon arriving, I stopped at the water's edge, admiring how the moonlight reflected off the surface in a spectacular beauty, almost illuminating the area like a flashlight. I breathed in a huff of the cold crisp air, sighing dreamily as the tranquility allowed my tension to roll right off my shoulders. That is until I heard something rustle in the bushes behind me. I spun around, clutching my jacket tightly while frantically searching for the noise.

"My, you're looking absolutely beautiful tonight." A smooth voice whispered almost right in my ear. I instinctively sprang back, terrified, and ready to sprint in the opposite direction until I clashed into something hard. Actually, it was someone. I slowly looked up to look at their face, gaping and my arms finally dropped to their sides.

"Whoa! What's wrong with your face?!" My Goddess I don't think I've ever seen someone so pale in my entire life. His skin seemed almost completely absent of color and his hair without any hue. "Are you an albino?!" I asked eagerly, grabbing his face with both my hands, moving it in all different directions to examine him further. I didn't even notice his shock until I looked into his eyes, a unique aquamarine color that I had also never seen before in my life. It was the only color on his entire body, well, except for the ridiculously bright violet pants he wore. With the realisation that he in fact did have at least _some_ hue, I threw away the assumption that he was an albino. _Bummer, I've always wanted to meet one._ "You're eyes! Are they even natural?" The man gently took my hands, removing them from his face and smiled.

"Hehe, yes, beautiful, everything is natural, even my hair and eye color." I barely noticed he was still grasping onto my hands as he answered. I brushed off his compliment and stared intently into his eyes, observing the unatural color.

"That's so cool! You're like a genetic miracle!" I exclaimed, grinning madly. "But how is your skin so pale? Have you eaten at all? Or do you just never go out in the sun? That's really bad for your health you should know." I began to explain and the man released my hands to listen. With my hands free, a placed one on my hip and the other blindly pointing to the sky as I prepared a quick health lesson. "Exposure to sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D which is essential to proper growth. That's what makes us happy! And as a man...uh...you are a man, right?" My lips formed a nervous smile as I lowered my head in embarrassment.

"Hehe, of course, darling." He answered, winking flirtatiously.

"Just double-checking. Well, then, as a man, it's said to help prevent the loss of muscle mass as you age. Also, with the lack of sunlight, your body doesn't produce as much testosterone which may be the reason why you have a more lean and almost feminine figure-" I cupped my mouth with my hands after I realized what I was saying and blushed probably thirty shades of red. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see his expression in case he had taken offense. However, I heard him chuckle and place a warm hand on my shoulder.

"I'm still _devilishly_ handsome though, right?"

"Uhh...that's really not my place to answer." I mumbled. I would admit, he was pretty good looking but I wouldn't call him _'devilishly handsome'_. More just like _girly handsome._ The way he described it made you think of those old time movie actors with the perfect sharp features and strong builds but he was just...girly...in a way.

"You're pretty cute when you're nervous." The man winked again, causing me to instinctively take a step back. _Uh..._ I suppose he took notice to this as he also stepped back and returned to his usual calm composure. "You seem really passionate about health and genetics. Are you in the medical field at all?"

"I'm only an intern." I informed him, kicking at the ground. "I've been studying under Dr. Hardy for a while...but I'm not very good..."

"I bet you'll do fine. You seem like a smart young woman. Not to mention beautiful." _Pfft! If that was true, I'd already have a husband by now._

"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." I muttered, biting the inside of my cheek.

"If you aren't sure of yourself, why did you go into the medical field?" The man asked curiously, lingering at my side.

"Well, all of that kind of stuff fascinates me. And I guess when you're fascinated by something, you pursue it, right?" I reasoned, staring out at the stars. "Besides, out of the things that I was interested in, being a doctor paid _so_ much more than being an archaelogist...that and I don't like Carter very much..."

"I suppose." He chuckled. There was an awkward pause in the conversation until the man finally asked, "If you don't mind me asking, may I have the pleasure of knowing the name of such a lovely young maiden?" I caught his aquamarine gaze and eyed him suspiciously.

"Claire. What's your name?" I grinned, despite the slight notion that this man was trouble. He inhaled sharply before he responded.

"I'm Phantom Skye, Prince of the Stars and quite the ladies' man. But please," He gently took my hand and pressed it to his lips, earning a bewildered gaze. "Just call me Skye."

"..." I blinked.

"What's the matter, beautiful?"

"You're really _weird_..." Skye started laughing, subconciously gripping his exposed forearms for warmth.

"I think you may be the first woman to ever tell me that." _...I'm surprised._

"Really?" I raised a brow, watching his eyes carefully as they locked onto mine.

"May I ask why such a lovely maiden is roaming the valley at such a late hour?" I scowled slightly. _Why does he keep calling me 'lovely' and 'beautiful'?_

"My roommate got married today so I didn't really want to...uh...disturb her and her husband...or _hear_ them..." My volume quickly decrescendoed to a whisper and Skye let out a smooth laugh, placing a hand casually on my shoulder. I flinched at his touch and tried to sidestep away from him, hoping he'd get the hint.

"I see...but it's very late you know. And it's dreadfully cold out tonight. A beautiful maiden should be snug at home with her lover at this hour." The man almost had a questioning glint in his eyes after rolling out that line. My mind was already scrambling for ways to escape this situation-getting away from this man- and make it back home.

'I-I-I don't...I don't have a l-lover." I stammered, glancing in several different directions to establish an escape plan. Now that I think about it, that was probably a _really_ dumb thing to say. I felt the scarf around my neck slowly unwravel from my body as Skye flashed a reassuring smile.

"Oh, I thought a lovely young lady like you would already be taken by now." _Jee, thanks for reminding me._ "I hope you don't mind if I borrow this for a little, do you, Miss Claire? It's awfully cold and unfortunately I'm not dressed very properly." My hand started fumbling for a weapon of some sort in my pockets. _Of course, I leave my damn pocket knife at home when I just happen to run into a creep who surely seems like he could possibly be a rapist!_

"Y-you will give it back, right?"

"Of course...if-"

"Give it back!" I interrupted, nearly screaming at the man and tugging at the scarf. He finally took a step back and chuckled. If there was going to some sort of condition, I wasn't going to give it up.

"Calm down, darling. Just let me finish." I nodded for him to continue. "I'll give it back if you promise to visit me tomorrow night. Here, that is."

"I work late tomorrow..." I mentioned, hoping it would be an excuse. His hand made its way to my chin, cupping it gently. I couldn't help but frown, almost in digust as he rubbed his thumb over my skin.

"Well, I'm usually out late anyways. So that's perfect." _Damnit..._ I wanted to hit my head against a wall. Maybe I'd knock myself on concious so then I wouldn't have to meet him and when I woke up, I could just go tell Kai to get my scarf from him. I mean, Kai could punch the guts out of this guy, right?

"Uh..."

"You're too cute." The man snickered, pinching the bridge of my nose and starting down the path. "Unfortunately, I have to take my leave now, my beautiful maiden. I hope to see you here tomorrow night." He glanced over his shoulder back at me, my scarf wrapped comfortably around his neck. "And I must say, you, Claire, truly fascinate me." I felt all the color drain from my face and his smooth chuckles echoing in the dead of night. _Fuu..._

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**Thanks for reading, please review!**


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